Skip to content

Cave Biology Data Portal

Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe

  • ExploreExpand
    • Species
    • Taxonomy
    • States and Provinces
    • Karst Regions
    • Caves You Can Visit
  • ResourcesExpand
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Meeting and Events
    • Public Notices
    • News and Updates
  • ContributeExpand
    • Report an Observation
    • Add a Photograph or Image
    • Post an Event
    • Post an Opportunity
    • Add a Reference
    • Add a New Species
    • Report a Correction
  • AboutExpand
    • Acknowledgments
    • Data Sensitivity Policy
    • Citation and Licensing
  • ContactExpand
    • Data Requests
Cave Biology Data Portal
Subterranean biodiversity of North America and around the globe

Karst regions
The major karst areas of North America and what lives in them

Subterranean fauna follows rock rather than borders. A karst region is often the more meaningful unit: species are shared along a limestone belt in ways they are not shared across a state line.

Appalachians 325 species 210 ranked G1 or G2 Black Hills 2 species 1 ranked G1 or G2 Driftless Area 13 species 5 ranked G1 or G2 Edwards Plateau and Balcones 252 species 147 ranked G1 or G2 Florida Lime Sinks 33 species 30 ranked G1 or G2 Guadalupe Mountains 16 species 12 ranked G1 or G2 Hawaii 60 species 44 ranked G1 or G2 Interior Low Plateau 438 species 288 ranked G1 or G2 Mother Lode 27 species 23 ranked G1 or G2 Other 303 species 164 ranked G1 or G2 Ozarks 118 species 46 ranked G1 or G2

Many species are recorded from more than one region, so these counts add up to more than the total number of species.

Cave Biology Data Portal

Species accounts, distributions, and conservation status for the subterranean fauna of North America and around the globe, with resources for the cave and karst research community.

Text and data CC BY 4.0. Images all rights reserved unless stated.

Explore

  • Browse
  • Taxonomy

Resources

  • Funding
  • Employment
  • Contribute

About this site

  • About Us
  • Acknowledgments
  • Contact Us
  • Data Sensitivity Policy
  • Citation and Licensing
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Explore
    • Species
    • Taxonomy
    • States and Provinces
    • Karst Regions
    • Caves You Can Visit
  • Resources
    • Funding Opportunities
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Meeting and Events
    • Public Notices
    • News and Updates
  • Contribute
    • Report an Observation
    • Add a Photograph or Image
    • Post an Event
    • Post an Opportunity
    • Add a Reference
    • Add a New Species
    • Report a Correction
  • About
    • Acknowledgments
    • Data Sensitivity Policy
    • Citation and Licensing
  • Contact
    • Data Requests